


In Search of New Dreams

by Beloved_of_Aragorn



Category: Labyrinth (1986)
Genre: Aboveground, Action/Adventure, Drama, F/M, Romance, Underground, fae
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-15
Updated: 2015-05-08
Packaged: 2018-03-23 01:23:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3749758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beloved_of_Aragorn/pseuds/Beloved_of_Aragorn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What will Jareth do when an old enemy awakens and comes for Sarah? What will Sarah do when confronted yet again with the Goblin King who haunts her heart seven years later? New dreams are about to awaken.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! This is a story that struggled to be free from my brain after re-watching the movie (which I loved as a kid), an idea that came from wondering how Jareth and Sarah might meet years down the road. Obviously most Labyrinth fanfic is a little AU since the film was symbolic about leaving behind fantasy to embrace reality/adulthood, but guess what? We're writers! Fiction writers don't always live in the real world anyway, so we're pretending Jareth and his goblin kingdom were all real. Ha. Side note, this is my first Labyrinth fanfic. Plus, I've read very few of them (pretty much just a few oneshots) so anything similar is completely accidental! Enjoy :)

### Prologue

...

> _There's such a fooled heart  
>  Beating so fast in search of new dreams  
>  A love that will last within your heart_

...

...

The lush emerald lawns. The old stone bridge bent over the gently flowing stream of clear cold water. The bordering trees tall and proud with long years in their roots. Everything was exactly as she remembered it, even the grey stone bench where she used to sit with a book in hand when she was younger. Lots of adventures had happened here, and lots of dreams had been woven from her imagination down into her heart.

Sarah Williams smiled softly to herself as a myriad of memories spun around her in this park that was once so precious to her as a child and a teenager. It had been a refuge and an escape for a girl who sought something extraordinary beyond what her eyes could see in an ordinary life, her wild imagination something of a marvel to the people in her life. But to her a treasured thing not lost in childhood.

She was twenty-two years old. Somehow her imagination was still fairly intact after the years passed on and childhood left her with its lingering gift. What she did lose was the childish selfishness and impetuousness that had gotten her into a spot of trouble years ago.

Seven years to be exact.

How could she forget? She had tried to more than once. No matter how she tried to bury the memories or convince herself it all was simply a dream, she knew the truth.

The Labyrinth.

The name in itself sent shudders down her spine.

Sarah slipped off her shoes to feel the springy grass between her toes and on her skin. She tilted her head up towards the warm sunlight and drew a deep breath of the fresh, sweet air. White flowers dotted the ground like pale stars scattered in a green sky.

An adventure unlike any other had become reality for her with just one misspoken wish, and the book she treasured so dearly had come to life. The labyrinth. That maze full of traps, trickery, and confusion that she had defeated both by persistence and heart. It was there she made friends in an hour of need, friends who were still dear to her and left with a promise to be there whenever she called. Hoggle, the stubborn yet kind dwarf. Ludo, the hairy beast who called even the rocks his friends. Sir Didymus, the fiery fox so noble and loyal.

When her sixteenth birthday had rolled around, her memories of the spectacular experience remained vibrant and her friends still often called upon. Her seventeenth birthday came and went. High school was the least of her worries as the world began to pressure her about college and her future. Those wonderful beings from the labyrinth suddenly didn't visit so very often, and her thoughts were mostly elsewhere. Eighteen arrived and brought the end of an important four years.

Graduation carried a bittersweet parting from the family she had come to love, even Toby, that little boy she once had wished away. Her stepmother Karen still did not seem like her own mother, but they had built a good relationship the older she grew and the more she put away childish tendencies. Sarah found that her strange experience—that she had breathed a word of to no one except Toby when he was still too little to understand—helped give her direction in life.

She was quite dramatic at fifteen and harbouring an inner desire to be just like her mother who was a star performer. Those dreams had grown and transformed even as she did. Now she took classes and worked part-time to become a playwright. She had been involved in drama in high school and adored the stage, but the years added to and refined her desire. Sarah wanted to write the part rather than just play it. Especially as she came into her own and realised she did not want to be just like her mother, a mother who rarely saw her daughter while being caught up in her own world.

A gentle breeze picked up and breathed into her raven-coloured hair. Her character and circumstances weren't the only things that had changed. At twenty-two, the youthful roundness of her face had become defined, she had grown a few more inches in height, and she looked more a woman than a girl. But she still had the porcelain skin, the rosy lips, entrancing green eyes, and dark tresses that had marked her a beauty even when she was fifteen. Instead of a pretty girl, she was now a beautiful woman.

But Sarah Williams was a true beauty, for her heart was as comely as her outward appearance and made the most lasting impression on those who came to know her. There was a reason she was the only one to defeat the labyrinth in over a millennia, but she assumed it was her determination and nothing more. Although the saying has been trivialised, beauty comes from within; otherwise it is merely a mask to cover an ugly soul.

Once upon a time, she had been without a mask in a sea of disguised faces.

No one knew about it. She made a few close friends over time, but not a word passed her lips about those thirteen hours spent in the Underground. And she planned for it to stay that way. Not a single person would believe her, and she had no intentions of being sent to a mental hospital.

"Was it all a dream?" Sarah whispered into the breeze. "It all seems so...so far away..."

The wind increased and tugged at her hair a little harder. She looked up and saw dark clouds rolling in on the horizon, veiling the deep blue sky like a devouring grey mouth open wide to swallow the heavens. She grinned at her active imagination and closed her eyes to better feel the sensation of the crisp air blowing on her skin. It sent goosebumps up her bare arms. She wore jeans, a v-neck white t-shirt, and white flats: all simple yet good enough to visit one of her favourite places in the world.

When Sarah opened her eyes again, she whipped her head around at the sound of something more than the wind. Almost like...almost like the flapping of wings. But all she saw were green trees dotted with spring blossoms.

Another shudder rippled through her and she slid her feet back into her shoes. It was time to go. Her dad, stepmother, and favourite little brother would be waiting for her at the house. As she walked down the path to leave, she glanced one last time over her shoulder as if expecting to see something.

But no. No white barn owl watched her this time. It could only be relief that settled deep in her chest, certainly not combined with a hint of disappointment.

.......

"Sarah! You're home!"

Toby's blonde head appeared around the corner as Sarah lugged her bag into the house she once called home and closed the door. He bounded towards her and threw his arms around her waist.

"Whoa, whoa! Careful there, kiddo, or you'll knock me clean over!"

He laughed and tilted his head back to look up at her smiling face. "I missed you. You're going to stay here forever right?"

She set her bag down and ran her fingers through his fine blonde curls. She only planned to stay for the weekend like she did now and again after moving to a bigger city to follow her dreams, but Toby was still a child and hoping for things to go back to the way they used to be.

_I was that way once_ , she thought. _It took almost losing him to show me otherwise._

Her thoughts were taking dangerous turns again, so she placed them in an old drawer in the back of her mind to focus on Toby. "Sorry, Toby, but just for a few days," she said.

Before she could say more, Karen approached with her perfectly coiffed blonde hair, a string of pearls round her neck, and a welcoming smile.

"Sarah, glad you made it here safe," said Karen.

Neither of the women was very affectionate towards one another, but they at least didn't have the permanent tension in the air that was normal when Sarah was fifteen. "How about you help me set the table for dinner?"

Sarah agreed and followed Karen to the dining room with the little fair-haired boy tagging along at her heels. Even though he still had frustrated her at times, fighting for his freedom because of her own stupidity had given her a special affection for the tyke.

The best things in life were the ones worth fighting for, and whatever is fought for becomes dearer because of the labour. Sarah understood this, but little did she realise how much deeper this truth would be learned in a short matter of time.


	2. A Kind of Pale Jewel

### Chapter One: A Kind of Pale Jewel

...

The family sat together and ate dinner with forks clinking against their plates and idle conversation humming. Sarah sighed inaudibly when the customary questions finally slipped out. They asked her how the play writing was going. How was work? Did the last play she wrote get good reception from her professors? What was her schedule like? Sometimes she just wished someone would ask her questions she'd never gotten before about things that didn't concern school or work. But she answered dutifully.

Until the dreaded question came out of Karen's mouth like it did every time she visited.

"So...any men in your life, Sarah?"

Sarah dropped her fork slowly to her plate as she fumbled for a response that might quickly divert the woman.

Once Sarah was sixteen, Karen had pressed her about her love life—or lack thereof more often than not. It wasn't as though she hadn't ever dated, because she'd gone on multiple dates, but only one guy had become an official boyfriend. And that had ended in disaster almost a year ago.

For eight months Christopher Moseley and she had dated, content and enjoying the progressing relationship until Chris decided to abruptly end it with only a vague reason as to why. A couple weeks later she found out it was because of another woman who he jumped into a relationship with only a few days after they separated. Her heart was truly and fully broken for the first time since her mother left, and the pain took months to heal; even now it sent a dull ache through her chest. She didn't love him anymore, but the betrayal still hurt.

It was also a topic she avoided like the plague because she hated thinking about why they never held her interest or felt right to her. Even Christopher had lasted past the first couple months because she just wanted to be with someone and give it a try, which she only admitted once it was over. Why was there not a single guy she was genuinely drawn to? She did not like that question or trying to answer it because she honestly couldn't figure it out. A strange feeling sat like a rock in her stomach.

"Uh, no, there's not anyone like that," she answered after a pause. "Toby, how about we spend some time at the park tomorrow?"

"Sarah! You're changing the subject," said Karen.

"Yes, I am. And there's nothing wrong with that. Like I said, there isn't anything to talk about."

"But, dear, I think you really need a man in your life. I think it would be good for you to go on dates and have fun and find that special someone."

This sounded suspiciously familiar. Sarah breathed deep as she tried to stave off a rush of memories that always tried to overwhelm her in this house. Amazing and terrible things had happened here. She already couldn't look at her parents' room the same. Too much had taken place in that room...

"Thank you, but I'm okay with my life right now and focusing on other things."

Her father finally had pity and changed the topic. While the others chatted or ate in silence, Sarah didn't find anything to say the rest of the meal.

*******

Later in the evening Sarah trudged up the stairs to her old bedroom. They had left it practically the same as when she moved out. The same pale comforter, curtains, and small vanity. When she returned from the labyrinth, she had begun to put away possessions of her childhood including some of the stuffed animals and certain items that were a stark reminder to the incident; like the little maze and a couple posters. That Escher poster definitely had come down. She couldn't lie in her bed trying to fall asleep and see that image in front of her without reliving the desperate moments in that outlandish room trying to save baby Toby.

It wasn't that she did not enjoy her journey through the fantastical Underground, but it left a mark on her. There were moments she remembered with great joy, others with wistfulness, a few with amusement, and then there were some that cast a shade of sorrow on her. Those were the ones she did not fully understand.

A certain man was at the centre of those memories.

The King of the Goblins.

Sarah pulled dark strands of ebony from her face with a few pins and settled softly onto the bed with her bare feet wriggling in the carpet.

As much as she tried to put him out of her mind, his memory could not be shaken. A small part of her didn't want those memories to disappear and another part of her said it would be best to forget him forever. She had her friends Hoggle, Didymus, and Ludo. She had her time in the Underground to remember. She had Toby back.

So why did it make her sad?

She jumped and stifled a yelp when someone knocked on the door. Internally she was relieved they had interrupted her train of thoughts, a path they had rarely taken since she was fifteen.

Toby poked in his head before she said anything about coming in. He grinned and jumped onto the bed beside her with his feet hanging off.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Just thinking."

"Thinking? That's boring," he said. "Mom says I have to go to bed soon. Will you tell me a story before I do? Your stories are always the best!"

Sarah laughed and laid back on the bed. Toby snuggled closer. Although he loved to do typical boyish activities, he never seemed to tire of the stories she told him full of adventure and danger and triumph. There was one story that she had never told him before but was beginning to wonder if it wouldn't be such a bad idea. It _had_ been seven years.

"There was a land far away from here where there lived a little boy..."

 _Not yet_ , she thought.

*******

That night Sarah shivered in her sleep and tossed in the small bed with strange dreams holding her down from consciousness or rest.

_A rush of wings. Glitter. Strange laughter._

_"I've brought you a gift"_

_"What is it?"_

_A small globe bright and clear._

_"It's a crystal, nothing more, but if you turn it this way and look into it, it will show you your dreams. But this isn't a gift for an ordinary girl who takes care of a screaming baby. Do you want it? Then forget the baby."_

_The entrancing voice thrummed in her mind and all around her. The shining crystal sphere sat before her, and she stared deep into its depths until everything else faded away and it filled her vision._

Her eyes flew open.

Thunder rattled the window pane. Lightning lit the room.

She sat up in bed half-expecting to see a tall dark figure standing in the bedroom. Her pulse raced, and she clutched handfuls of blankets till her knuckles whitened. But no. She was alone. The ominous clouds from the afternoon had finally rolled in with a storm and loosed it over the town.

Rain pattered against the window as she stumbled out of bed and walked towards it. Another peal of thunder boomed overhead, and she flinched.

No strange owls pecked at the glass either.

"Oh, what is wrong with me?" she grumbled. She stretched on her tiptoes before turning around to go back to bed when something on the vanity caught her eye in another flash of white lightning. Her body froze. The sensation was like a bucket of ice thrown over her that trickled down her spine.

The night she returned from the labyrinth she put away the red leather book into a drawer and never took it out again until she moved. Then she packed it away with other keepsakes to take to her new apartment because as much as she tried, she could not leave it behind.

It should have been in a box in her apartment.

It sat on the vanity.

Another bout of bright light illuminated the bedroom. She moved away from the window and cautiously approached the book.

"How...how did _you_ get here?" she whispered.

She reached out a trembling hand to touch it yet snatched it away before her fingers brushed the smooth surface. The gold lettering glimmered. Most adults would pass it off as just an odd coincidence and fall back asleep, but Sarah was not just anyone: she knew bizarre things could be exactly what they seemed. A particularly loud roll of thunder made her jump.

"Get a hold of yourself," she muttered. "It's nothing. No big deal."

Try as she might, Sarah didn't get another wink of sleep the rest of the night, and the storm continued long into the early morning.

*******

The presence of the red book seemed less threatening in the warm light of day; not to mention, its odd appearance had driven the unsettling dreams out of her mind. Sarah glanced at it before hurriedly dressing and slipping past and down the stairs.

It wasn't long before she climbed into the car with Toby, Karen, and her dad. The four of them spent most of the day together going out to lunch and walking downtown on that lovely spring afternoon. It was when they waltzed into a small shop full of trinkets and other assortments of wares that Sarah drew back and watched the couple and their son interact as they perused the shelves.

She smiled at the scene. Then a subtle pang stirred inside. A sense of not belonging coursed through her as she stood apart and observed, and it was not unfamiliar. Often, she took a step back and felt separate from so much of the world, and she always wondered if it was because she was one of the few who knew there was another world beyond this one just out of sight. After such an adventure, how did one simply go back to normal life?

You didn't. A drop of sadness rippled across her heart. No matter what she did or how she tried to lose herself in society and normal living, nothing worked to take away the feeling of...of...

Longing.

She tucked a strand of dark hair behind her ear and turned away pretending to examine some colourful blown glass on a shelf.

Longing.

But for what?

"Sarah! Sarah, look."

Toby called out to her and she went to see whatever he was trying to show her. She hid the real emotions churning in her belly so that no one would ask or sense anything amiss. It worked, and they soon tired themselves out on their feet before returning home.

However, that evening she could no longer run away. Even as her feelings felt as convoluted as the labyrinth she once journeyed through, they were all brought to the surface when Toby found the book.

He was ready to ask for a story before bed again and spotted the little red book sitting on the old vanity. Snatching it in his hand, he hurried to find Sarah.

"Sarah, can you read this to me?"

Sarah felt all the blood leave her face when she saw what he was holding. She nearly suspected the goblins themselves were afoot with mischief and interfering in her life.

Toby looked down at it again. "What's it say? Lab...lab..."

"The Labyrinth."

Sarah hadn't read the book since she had been to the real place. It became a faint reflection after living it in reality. She had her memories—more vibrant and solid—rather than words on a page that paled in comparison.

But Toby pleaded with big blue eyes. After taking a few deep breaths, she conceded. He had no idea what it meant and that he had become a part of the grand tale, so she would humour his childlike curiosity and finally share—in some way—the story that changed her life.

"Come on," she said and led him upstairs. She went to his bedroom rather than hers to avoid making things too similar to those strange days.

Once they settled in, she opened the book and decided to enjoy herself. No matter how odd it was to think of the characters so personally, it was still her favourite book, and secretly she was glad to relish it again after so many years.

"Once upon a time, there was a beautiful young girl whose stepmother always made her stay home with the baby. The baby was a spoiled child. He wanted everything for himself, and the girl was practically a slave. But what no one knew was that the Goblin King fell in love with her and gave her certain powers."

Her voice caught in her throat. No. It couldn't be. _No_ , she thought, _what happened wasn't exactly like this book. Things were different._

"Sarah?" said Toby. "Why'd you stop?"

"Oh. Sorry. So one night, when the baby had been particularly cruel to her, she asked the goblins for help."

Toby could hardly keep his eyes open by the time they finished. His pale curls tickled her cheek as she squeezed him with one last hug and tucked him under the covers of his bed. When she reached to turn off the light, his quiet voice called out to her.

"I'm glad she saved the baby. It was pretty silly to ask goblins to take him away 'cuz everyone knows you can't trust goblins. But I don't think the king would've turned him into one."

Sarah eyed the little boy cautiously. "And why is that?"

"Just because. He was sneaky and liked to play tricks, but he didn't hurt anybody."

"Well, maybe he wouldn't have," she whispered. "Goodnight Toby."

"G'night. Thanks for reading the story to me. It was the best."

She flipped off the light and closed the door. It clicked shut, and she leaned against it for a few moments as a whirlwind of thoughts swirled around her like a flurry of snow. Then she hurried to her room and grabbed a pair of sneakers and a jacket which got thrown on haphazardly.

Her dad and Karen saw her walking towards the front door, and her dad called her name. He came out from the kitchen when she stopped.

"Honey, where are you going?" he asked.

"For a walk. I just need to get outside for a little while." Sarah didn't want to tell them the real reason: she needed to think about certain things without interruption or blatant reminders all around her.

"Oh. Well...all right." He touched her shoulder and smiled. "Don't be gone too long. It's getting dark and looks like it might start raining again, so maybe you should take an umbrella."

"I'll be fine," she said with a shrug. "A little rain doesn't intimidate me."

Karen opened her mouth to protest, but Sarah waved at them and hurried out the door. The crisp spring air struck her as soon as she was outside with its earthy fragrance and a faint whiff of blossoms. She zipped her coat up against the evening chill and hopped down the steps. When she glanced up at the sky it certainly did look like it could rain at any moment.

"Oh well," she murmured. "I have to get out of there even if it means coming back looking like a drowned rat."

Toby's words were ringing in her head. _He was sneaky and liked to play tricks, but he didn't hurt anybody._ The more she thought about it, the more she realised an eight year old had seen more than she had. Being full of dramatics and assumptions at fifteen, Sarah had made the story the way she thought it should be. That made the Goblin King the villain, and yet the longer she considered the past events, her matured mind revelled at incredible changes a shift in perception granted.

It was time. It was time to finally give in to the thoughts about him. It was time to stop running away.

He had been dismissed from her mind and memory most of the time because seeing him in a simple villainous light was easier than trying to understand what really went on. She'd been running from the truth and how it cast light on the events of the past. And she felt less guilt thinking of her rejection of his offers if she thought of it only as another ploy.

"I wish I could remember better," she muttered as her feet hit the sidewalk at a quick yet steady pace as she roamed through the neighbourhood. "So much. There's so much I didn't understand, but I was so sure I did then. It all got twisted to my expectations."

Her heart stuttered. Expectations. _I am exhausted from living up to your expectations of me._

"It can't be possible. It just can't." She ran a frustrated hand through her hair and kicked at a pebble in her path. _If only I had listened better. Now I can hardly remember what he said to me. I was so caught up in trying to recite the right words from the book that I completely missed what he was trying to say. Could I have been wrong about him?_

The gloom thickened overhead as the sun set on the horizon. The dark grey clouds were lined with the last glimmer of gold and a touch of purple. Small raindrops began falling. Sarah did not pay any attention for she was so caught up in her dangerous thoughts that nothing else registered.

_No, I wasn't wrong. He was the villain of the story. He was._

Even to herself, she didn't sound so convinced because ever-present were Toby's words, and those she could not argue with. Not once had the king harmed anyone even though he threatened to turn the baby into a goblin. Would he have done it? Sarah was certain of it then, but now...

A bit of shame reddened her cheeks when she considered the logic that escaped her then but now made sense. She was the one who asked Toby to be taken away. Granted, she had not thought it actually would work. So maybe the King of the Goblins hadn't been as terrible as she thought, intimidating in his gothic garb without actually performing anything terrifying. Lacing threats into his words without actually physically hurting anyone. What kind of wicked tyrant threatened his subjects with a Bog of Eternal Stench anyway? Not a ruthless one. A mischievous and impish one, certainly.

But someone had to be the antagonist of the story. Sarah had made sure he was it. He did seem to relish playing the part though.

"He seemed so serious. Could he have just been playing along all that time? No! I couldn't have been so wrong. Ugh! I hate this!"

The rain deepened and fell thudding all about her. She pulled her hood over her head and looked around, realising she had gone further than she thought. "Just my luck I'd get lost on a night like this!" She shivered from the cold and folded her arms over her stomach.

A prickly feeling of being watched tingled on her neck.

Sarah whirled around, but no one was behind her. Everywhere she looked she only saw trees and houses and cars parked along the road. It seemed she was the only one out in the dreary weather. But the sensation could not be shaken.

She hurried down further under a large tree whose boughs hung far over the sidewalk and into the road. A rustle in the leaves above made her head jerk upwards.

A black raven flapped its wings on a high branch and croaked at her.

"Just a bird."

_Why am I disappointed it's not an owl? she yelled at herself internally. Don't be silly._

At first she brushed it off. Then the creeping sensation crawled up her spine. She looked up at the raven again and suddenly found its beady eyes a little too intent on her. It almost seemed like its eyes weren't black, although it was difficult to say for sure with all the deep shadows.

It was time to hurry home. The night had been strange enough. She didn't need strange birds watching her too.

Sarah dashed back into the rain and ran all the way back to the house, her hood falling away in the process so by the time she hurried under the porch her hair was plastered in wet strands to her head. Her clothes were drenched. She took off her sneakers at the door to avoid Karen's wrath but paused on the second shoe when she heard a muted croaking sound. To her horror, that same raven had flown after her and sat in one of the trees out front still keeping an eye on the young woman.

In a moment of panic she flung the shoe at the bird.

It didn't quite make it, but the thing squawked as if she had hit it. "Go away!' she yelled. She jerked off her other shoe and threw it too. It nearly nailed the winged menace. Yet the raven only hopped to another branch.

Sarah suddenly regretted flinging her shoes away, but she shrugged and hurried inside. It did make her feel slightly chagrined for behaving like that towards a bird.

Sure enough, her dad and Karen saw her soaked state and had to give their shocked responses and chiding remarks for staying out in the rain so long, but it rolled right off of her. They gave her a large fluffy blue towel and sat in the living room together for a while before Sarah finally warmed up and felt sleep heavy on her lids. She yawned and bid them all goodnight.

Once she changed into comfortable pj's, she flopped on the bed and snuggled into the blankets while listening to the song of the rain striking the roof and the window.

"I wish..." Her whisper sounded loud in the quiet room as if the air even stilled to listen. "I wish...I wish I could remember all those things the Goblin King said to me. I want to remember."

She promptly fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Fact: Do you know Michael Jackson was considered for the Goblin King part before David Bowie? Bahahahaha! Can you imagine?


	3. You've Run So Long

### Chapter Two: You've Run So Long

...

_"What have you done that's generous?"_

_"Everything! Everything that you wanted I have done. You asked that the child be taken. I took him. You cowered before me. I was frightening. I have reordered time. I have turned the world upside-down, and I have done it all for you! I am exhausted from living up to your expectations of me. Isn't that generous?"_

_"Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the goblin city, for my will is as strong as yours. And my ki..."_

_"Stop! Wait! Look, Sarah. Look what I'm offering you: your dreams."_

_"And kingdom is great."_

_"I ask for so little. Just let me rule you, and you can have everything that you want."_

_Her own voice mumbled about the next line._

_"Just fear me, love me, do as I say, and I will be your slave."_

_The voices faded and a view of the vast labyrinth opened before her with all its walls and doors and corners. It glowed under a morning sun. At the centre stood the castle with its high towers._

_"Sarah," the same voice whispered on the air. "Sarah..."_

Sarah jolted awake. Her hand flew to her chest where she felt her heart racing, and a soft sheen of sweat glistened on her pale skin. The words of the dream had been so vivid as though she had listened to it play out for a second time rather than reliving a memory within her mind; however, the images were hazy just like in the recesses of her mind pushed aside with seven years.

Then she remembered the words she whispered into the dark night air before she fell asleep: _I wish I could remember all those things the Goblin King said to me._

But who had granted that wish? She glanced around the room and realised morning was just dawning upon the world with a soft gold touching the east and the rest of the sky pale grey like the feathers of a dove. Drops of water lingered on the window pane, turning to gold crystals as the sun swelled above the edge of the world. She walked towards it to watch as night transformed into another day.

Where her heart had been racing from the troubling dreams, it now seemed to utterly stop. She stumbled away from the window and leaned against the wall trying to catch her breath.

A barn owl circled up into the heavens before her very eyes until it disappeared out of sight.

"This is all his doing!" she gasped. "Or...or I..." A new realisation flooded her senses. "Or I want to go back and...and it's beginning to show." Also, she couldn't decide if she'd seen an owl or some other bird flying away that she assumed was an owl because of the dream.

_There's something in me that wants to...go back..._

She buried her face in her hands and moaned. "I'd rather a real labyrinth that I can see than trying to navigate the labyrinth inside me right now."

Since it technically was morning and there was no possible way to go back to sleep, she pulled her long hair back into a ponytail and padded downstairs. She decided to cook breakfast for everyone while they still slept. A genuine smile touched her lips. She enjoyed doing things for people, especially good surprises.

Plus it helped distract her from stranger things going on in her mind and in her heart. Things she could not share with anyone else. But in her mind she pondered the meaning of the words echoing beyond her dreams: _Just fear me, love me, do as I say, and I will be your slave._

*******

By the end of the day, Sarah packed her things back in her bag and prepared to say her goodbyes to the family. Toby was always the hardest since he never wanted her to leave, and somewhere inside it broke her heart a little to tear herself away.

Her dad wrapped her in a warm hug. "Goodbye sweetheart. I'm glad you came for the weekend. You're always welcome here and don't forget it."

"Thanks," she said. Ever since her mom left, their relationship had changed and she was hardly mentioned as soon as he married Karen. There was a quiet understanding of sorts. They were not best friends, of course, but he tried to be a good father to her even though he had gotten fairly caught up in his new family and trying to blend them together. "I love you."

"I love you too."

Karen gave her a quick hug as well. Toby leaped into her arms and clung to her neck.

"And I love you," she said to the little bundle in her grip.

"I love you so so much," he sighed. "Do you really have to go?"

"Yes, Toby, I have to. But I'll come again, kiddo, don't worry. Oh! I've got something for you." She pulled out a worn leather red book and handed it to him. "I think you should have it. It was my favourite book and I'd like it to be yours too." While cooking a breakfast feast of eggs, bacon, and pancakes that morning she decided the Labyrinth should go to Toby. It felt the right thing to do.

"Wow! Thanks Sarah! It's already my new favourite."

With one last wave and another round of farewells, Sarah stuffed her bag in her car and headed back to the place that had become her new home. The drive was just a couple hours, so it wasn't long before she saw city lights passing by and familiar street signs along the road. Her apartments finally came into view.

They were newer, modestly built, and looked almost like town-houses since it wasn't some skyscraper in a big city with a giant apartment complex. Her and her friend Amber shared a place on the second story. Amber had become her friend in their last year of high school, and then they both decided to attend the same college; so now they lived together as they sought out new futures and pursued precious dreams. Amber had been part of the drama club in high school where they first met. Now she continued to pursue theatre while Sarah pursued her goal of becoming a playwright, so of course Amber kept trying to persuade her friend to make sure she wrote a part for her in every script. Sarah had immense creativity and Amber had an immense personality.

As soon as Sarah stepped through the door, Amber burst out of her bedroom.

"Sarah! I've been waiting forever for you to get home!" she cried. Her smile positively radiated sunshine itself. Amber had golden waves of hair, fair skin, and blue eyes. She was very lovely and willowy with an extremely expressive face. "I have some wonderful news that I could hardly contain waiting for you to get here."

Sarah laughed and dropped her things on the ground by the couch. "Well? Let me hear it. I wouldn't want you to burst."

Amber leaned against the kitchen countertop. "You remember Michael?"

How could Sarah forget Michael when Amber couldn't stop mentioning him the last three weeks? "Uh...yes."

"He asked me out!" Amber's shrill squeal made Sarah wince. "We're going on a date!"

"Yes, I figured that's what going out meant."

"Sarcasm," Amber mumbled as she rolled her eyes. "But really. Isn't that exciting?"

"Yes, it definitely is," said Sarah as she moved forward and threw her arms around her dear friend. "I really am happy for you! It's what you've been hoping for for a couple weeks now. Just don't panic or act weird just because you're nervous! It'll be fun."

"You're such a great friend," said Amber. She tossed her shoulder-length locks over her shoulder. "Now that we've got the incredible news out, how was your weekend with the family?"

And so they fell into their routine and Sarah momentarily forgot about her old adventures and a certain king who had been on her mind.

But that was not to last for long.

*******

It wasn't until after Amber began dating Michael that things got a bit strange.

Their first date left Amber gushing about how wonderful it was, how wonderful he was, and how they were set for their second date. The second went just as well and that was when some of their other friends decided to plan a group night. They set the date for a friend's place with a large yard on a Saturday evening eating lots of food, watching movies, and whatever mischief they might get their hands on.

It was a temperate spring night with a clear sky and a warm breeze. Sarah threw on a flowing white skirt that hit above her knees, a draping olive green top, and topped it off with gold dangling earrings that glinted with captured sunlight. Amber called out from the living room that it was time to go, so the girls hurried down the stairs to the car.

Some lights were strung over the porch, lawn chairs sat scattered around, pitchers of colourful drinks waited on a table, and more plates of food filled the rest of the table the more people who arrived. It wasn't long before they were all laughing and chatting while stuffing themselves full of good food. Sarah's friend Aaron was in the middle of a hilarious account when a few more people showed up. Two of them she knew, but the third she had never seen before; and she certainly would have remembered.

Her pulse sped up a bit at the sight of the guy.

His hair was a shade of ebony, truly black as midnight unlike hers which was a rich dark shade of brown, and his skin was golden like he had been in the sun often. He was average height with an average build, but his bare arms hinted at a lean muscular frame. The guy was definitely attractive in a certain way. But his eyes were what made her stare a little: they looked almost golden. She assumed it was the lighting, but as soon as they fell on her she felt ensnared.

A round of greetings circled, and the guys he came with introduced him.

"Oh, and this is our new friend Bran. We met a few weeks ago and thought he should meet everybody."

He nodded to the group after he received a welcome greeting. Sarah noticed his piercing eyes linger on her longer than necessary, and apparently Amber noticed as well because Sarah felt a sharp elbow nudging her. She cringed. When Amber got onto a kick, it was like trying to stop a freight train.

And of course the new guy grabbed a chair and sat one person away from Sarah.

Aaron, of course, had to finish his grand story and had everyone in stitches again. Apparently bizarre events happened around him in common places like the grocery store. Once he finished, Sarah sensed a pair of eyes on her and glanced to her left only to catch Bran looking at her. When he saw her gaze turn to him, he smiled and leaned forward.

"I'm Bran, as you obviously heard," he said. "What's your name?"

"Sarah," she answered abruptly. Maybe a little too abruptly. Why was her pulse still running a race? It might have been because of a slight accent to his voice that sounded European of some sort.

"Sarah. I've always liked that name. You know everyone here?"

"Yes, actually, except for you."

A moment of dreaded awkward silence passed. She felt Amber's elbow in her arm again, and she subtly leaned more to her left away from the offending body part.

"So what do you do?" she blurted.

"I, uh...I dabble in science I suppose."

"You suppose." She laughed a little. "You aren't sure?"

"Oh I'm sure of what I do, but there isn't a good way to explain it. Science is a passion of mine. What do you do, Sarah?"

The way Bran said her name and the intensity of his gaze on her made her uncomfortable, although she couldn't say why, and she was fairly sure it was more than just being nervous around a good-looking guy. She told him briefly about wanting to write plays or anything for the stage while maybe acting in them on occasion. He took in all the information with polite interest, but whenever she attempted to ask more about him he managed to steer the talk quite skilfully away after giving brief or vague answers. Just as she grew frustrated, Amber and Michael joined in, turning it into a completely different conversation for a while.

They all ended up watching some of the boys play some scattered baseball late into the night. At one point, Bran excused himself to go join them. At first Sarah was kind of embarrassed on his behalf when he fumbled through the game a couple rounds as if he didn't even know the rules, but something must have clicked because by his second turn to bat the clumsiness was gone. The baseball flew towards him. He swung. The ball cracked and soared through the air far over the fence into someone else's yard, as in more than one yard away.

All the other guys gaped like fish the direction it disappeared. Bran smiled a subtle grin of satisfaction and circled the bases—three pillows they laid on the grass. But it didn't end there. When the other three guys were up to bat, the second baseball they got out launched into the air, but Bran leaped up and caught with alarming speed.

Once again everyone sort of stared in awe.

Sarah guessed he might be athletic by his build, but maybe she had stereotyped his love of science to mean he wouldn't be _that_ agile. Right after that amazing catch, his eyes found hers and the corners of his lips turned up a bit.

Yes. Bran was sort of impressing her. Such an interesting person...

Eventually it was time for everyone to head home, and Sarah found herself facing Bran before she could make it to the door. He'd smoothly intercepted her on those quick feet.

"Goodnight Sarah," he said holding her eyes with his golden gaze. "It was a pleasure meeting you and I hope to see you again very soon."

"You too, Bran. Goodnight."

Amber snatched Sarah's arm in hers and waved goodbye to Bran as they left the house. When they were near the car, Amber finally had her say.

"Sarah! Can you believe..."

"No, no I don't want to hear it."

"But come on! He's a pretty good looking guy, you have to admit, and he was very much interested in you, my friend."

Amber hopped into the car and Sarah opened her door. Before she slid in, she looked up and saw Bran watching her as he stood with his new friends on the front lawn. He smiled at her, not really a kind smile but more of a smirk that reminded her of someone else. Chills prickled on her skin.

"I guess he is..."

She did not clarify which part she was answering.

*******

It was only a few days later that Sarah met the mysterious Bran again, a lot shorter than she expected. She was anticipating it yet dreading it all at once. It deeply confused her. Unfortunately Amber was set on pairing the two up and lured her new boyfriend Michael into the plan.

This time he didn't seem to come off quite so strongly and acted fairly normal for a guy his age.

The more he was around, the less wary she felt and his presence grew commonplace after a couple more weeks. She brushed off her first instincts as silly and girlish and just nerves, and then considered him another friend that became part of the group. And although a couple of her female friends made no secrets about their interest in him, he appeared to be set upon one girl in particular: Sarah Williams.

Where she at first was on guard, she felt flattered by his attentions and admitted to liking them a bit. Whether she liked him as more than a friend was yet to be discovered.

Another odd thing she noticed after a while was the lack of strange dreams and thoughts about the Underground. It was as if returning back to her normal life had silenced that part of her. She didn't know if she was glad about that or not. The Underground had seemed almost a part of who she was, but she wondered if losing that would finally bring a sense of settling in to this world. Maybe she should let it all go...

Michael and Bran came over one night to spend time with the girls. They all made dinner together in the small kitchen—a disaster barely averted when Sarah put a stop to the food fight that almost exploded when Amber smeared some sauce on Michael's face—and enjoyed the Italian fare before whipping up some dessert as well. It was while they were enjoying the delectable chocolate that Amber brought up something Sarah nearly had forgotten.

"You're still going to Jessica's wedding, right?" Amber asked her best friend.

Sarah threw her hands up in the air. "I almost forgot! That's next weekend! Yes, I'm going still, although I guess I'll be the third wheel now."

Amber laughed and shrugged her shoulders. "Sorry about that, but we'll still all have fun like we always do."

Bran leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. His black shirt complimented his same shade of hair and golden eyes. She took note that he certainly wore black a lot. He must have known it was a flattering colour for him.

"Well...what if I went with you, Sarah?" he said. "Then it'd be the four of us and you wouldn't have to be the third wheel."

Once her surprise wore off a bit, she looked away with a blush staining her cheeks pink. "Um...I don't know..." she stammered.

"As friends of course," he added with a subtle smirk. "Come on, it'll be fun."

Somehow she found herself agreeing and then wondering why on earth she did. The sardonic tone when he said "as friends" didn't really put her at ease, but she felt a bit pressured with him asking in front of the other two who were so hoping for them to get together; not to mention she didn't enjoy turning people down. Plus, he was handsome and charming: the perfect date for a wedding.

"Then it's settled," said Bran before settling back into the couch. His eyes danced as they lingered on Sarah.

 _What did I just do?_ she thought to herself. Christopher really had left a mark if she still was hesitant to even trust guys. Maybe everyone was right: maybe she should consider getting into a relationship again soon.

_But with Bran? Well, who else? He's the only one remotely attractive and intriguing to me. I just don't know..._

The guys left just after eleven in the evening, so Sarah wandered back into her room intending to not come out until the morning. She picked up a brush and stood in front of the mirror on her wall and started running it gently through her long locks. Then she paused as she stared into the green eyes looking back at her. A mirror was once not just a mirror to her.

Events were confusing her lately, and she wished someone was there to talk to about them who also knew all about the labyrinth. Someone she could be completely open with.

It had been a few years since she last called upon some old friends.

"Hoggle?" she whispered into the mirror. "Hoggle...I need you."

A long silence drifted through the minutes.

"Ludo? Ludo, are you there somewhere? Sir Didymus! Any of you? Are any of you there anymore?" Her voice had dropped to a low murmur with the dropping of her heart. The next silence that followed was grieving and terribly long without one single sign of answer.

"I need you! I need all of you right now," she pleaded into the reflective glass. She glanced over her shoulder, but no one else was in the room.

It was as if two paths lay before her: one with her old friends and memories of the labyrinth and staying oddly separated from much of the world or one where the Underground had no place anymore and she chose to move forward with her life with it all forgotten. Right now it felt her feet were already on the second path.

She was alone. Her friends were not responding.

_And they probably never will again. Maybe it really is time for it all to go away._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun dun! Who is Bran? Will Sarah choose to let go of all her old friends and memories of the labyrinth?
> 
> Please review/comment :). I would really really appreciate hearing whether or not you guys are even liking the story so far. Or at some point, even if that's down the road in the story. Thanks!


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